Oil-bearing sand heater



Oct. 25. 193.8.

C. C. HOGG OIL BEARING SAND HEATER Filed Aprfi1-26. 1957 Mgg,

' Patented Oct; 25, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT or-Fica 2,134,610 on.-BEARING' SAND HEATER ooy o. Hogg, Titusville, Pa. Application April 2s, 1937, serial No. 139,045 3 claims. (01.'166-17) This invention relates to oil bearing Vsand heaters and has for an object to provide-apparatus for heatingcompressed air in the oil well at the oil bearing sand.

5 It is well known that if oil sand can be raised intenperature large amounts of4 gas will be set `in motion and'as a result theol] recovery will be increased considerably. With this in mind the present invention provides a novel electric heater which will be self-contained and may be lowered into position with the cables that iurnish the electrical energy to heat the coils, compressed air'being used as a heat transmitting medium,.the air passing. around the heater and 1 5 after beingheated passing throughthe more permeable portions of the sand and not only heating the oil sand of the well itself but driving oil to other producing wells in the vicinity.

` with the above and other obiootsin view thoinvention consists of certain novel details-of construction and combinations of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to f withinthe scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit 4or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. Y

In the accompanying drawing .forming part of this specification, j

. Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of oil sand heating apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, parts being shown inl eleva tion andparts being shown-diagrammatically.

Figure. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1. i Figure 3 is a detail vertical sectional view showing the compressed air outlets adjacent to the heater. L

Figure 4 is a detail side elevation showing the electrical resistance elements of the heater. Figure 5 is a bottom plan view,of the parts shown in Figure 4.' Referring nowto the drawing in which like characters of reference ldesignate similar parts inthe various views, of an oil well, and in applying the invention a bottom hole packer I I is secured below the slate formation yI2 and'adjacent the surfaceof the oil 'bearing sand 13. The packer localizes. the i heatedcompressed air at the sandst'raatta.

A pipe I4 is disposed axially in the casing and extends to the bottom I5 of the well and is provided near the bottom of the' well with com-'- pressed air outlets I6. Above the outlets and below'the packer II the pipe is provided with ns I1 which 'dissipate the heat from a novel elec- |0 designates the casing tricV heater I8 which is located axially in the pipe within the nned portion thereof, as best shown in Figure 1. f

The upper end of the pipe I4 is provided with an elbow forming a. Weather head I9 through 5 which three well insulated Wires 20 are conducted into the pipe and suspend the'heater I8 in operative position as well as supply the energizing current to the heater. A Asupply pipe 2l 3is connected to the pipe I4 and may be connected to l0 any suitable-source of compressed air supply. The pipe 2| is equipped with valves 22 and 23 for controlling the pressure, and is also equipped with a manometer 24 and orifice used to measure ow of air and also with a conventional pres-*'15 7 sure regulator 25.

Preferably three heating elements 26,. of the conventional resistance type are assembled as a 'i compact unit by a plurality of spacer blocks21, shown best in Figure 2, bound together by a 20 wire wrapping 29. Each spacer block is of smaller diameter than the bore of the pipe so that compressed air may pass freely through the pipe in lcontact with the lheating elements and emerge 'through the outlets I6. 25

The resistance coils of all ofthe heating elements are connected together at the bottom by conductors 30, best shown in Figure 5. The three heater supporting and current supplying wires 2 0 are connected to conductors 3| of three-phase 30` alternating current, the current supply being controlled `by a conventional switch 32. A volt meter 33, ammeter 34, instrument transformer 35. and fuses 28 -for protection all of the conventional type are employed in the usual manner. 35

Preferably the heatingv elements 26 are of the 440 volt 20.ampee 5,000 watt type. The maximum temperature of the elements is about 750. F. 6,000 cubic feet of air per hour more or less under pressure of from' 20 to 400 pounds may 4o be admittedthrough the pipe I4. Stn practice the air temperature is about 550F. at the sand I3. The temperature of the heating elements may Abe controlled by the volume of compressed air introduced to prevent the-heating elements from 45 burning up, i From the above description it is thought .that the construction and operation of the invention'- will be fully understood without further explana-y tion. 50 What is claimed is:` 1. Apparatus' for heating oil bearing sand of 1 an oil Well, comprising a casing, a bottom hole packer secured adjacent the surface of the oil bearing sand, a compressedair pipe -disposed. .f i

axially in the casing and having outlets localizing the introduction of compressed air below said packer and at the most permeable sand strata, a heater in said pipe below said packer and adjacent to said outlets.

2. Apparatus for heating oil bearing sand to increase oil production, comprising a compressed air pipe having heat dissipating fins disposed at the sand strata, a heater disposed in the pipe at the iin portion thereof, a bottom hole packer surrounding the pipe above the iin thereof, out-A lets in the pipe below the n portion, and means for supplying compressed air to the pipe.

3. Apparatus for heating oil bearing sand of an oil well, comprising a compressed air pipe having outlets at the sand strata, a. plurality of heating elements in the pipe at the sand strata and spaced from the pipe to permit compressed air passing the heater, means binding the elements in a compact bundle, and energy conducting means suspending the elements in the pipe. 10

COY C. HOGG. 

